Congressman says Senator’s linkage of Alaska and ethanol is wrong

Iowa Congressman Tom Latham, a republican, says democrat Senator Tom Harkin is “dead wrong” to try and link increased ethanol use with a ban on oil drilling in Alaska. Latham says he supports the proposal to require a percentage of corn-based ethanol in gas pumps nationwide.In addition to pushing alternative fuels, Latham says the U-S must continue to explore new potential oil drilling sites. The Alexander republican says Harkin’s plan to link a proposed ban on Alaskan drilling with the ethanol plan just won’t fly. He says tieing the two together is “dead wrong.”Harkin chairs the Senate Ag Committee. The Bush Administration favors drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. One federal report says the site could produce 16-billion barrels of oil, roughly the same amount the U-S imports from Saudi Arabia over 30 years.